Lost Empire

by Jeff Gunzel

  He never broke stride as he walked right up to her. Her chains rattled noisily as she tried to back away, but she only managed to back into the steel post as it halted her retreat. Now standing nose-to-nose with her, he said, “Whether or not you can be trusted is not up to you to decide. If you actually think I’m going to be scared off by one of my closest friends, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed.” Her lower lip began to tremble as she fell into his arms. He held her close and whispered in her ear, “I’m not going anywhere. We’ll get through this together.”

  ****

  Jade sat alone on a small patch of hay she fluffed up, trying to make it as comfortable as possible. With her legs crossed and face pressed hard into her palms, she thought hard, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. What was happening to poor Athel and what triggered it? At least Jacob was with her now, and might be able to help. But what could he really do? And where was Eric? She missed him so badly it felt like a knife being pushed into her heart. When the door opened sharply she quickly wiped the moisture from her eyes with the back of her hand, not wanting to appear weak.

  “Your friend is very special. I must say he has a rather big ego, but an even bigger heart,” Nima said as she closed the door. “In fact, all three of you do, and I would assume this Eric is no different.” She kneeled down beside Jade and rubbed her knee. “I know you feel like a prisoner here, and by almost any definition I suppose you are, but I promise you it won’t be for forever.”

  “When, then?” snapped Jade, unable to hold back the tears any longer. “Eric is out there somewhere, and yet I sit here like a slave, unable to do anything for him.” She dropped her face back into her hands as she cried. “I don’t know if he’s lost, hurt, or even alive!” Her voice cracked with every word.

  Nima scooted around so she was now facing Jade, then reached out and gently took both her hands in hers. “That’s what I came to talk to you about.” She gave each hand a soft squeeze while rubbing her thumbs in circles. “There might be a way we can find him.”

  Jade’s teary eyes seemed to double in size as her mouth hung open. Her jaw worked up and down wordlessly for a moment before she was even able to form words. “I’ll...I’ll do anything! Just please help me find him.”

  Nima winced at the pain in her voice. She herself was no stranger to falling in love, and knew full well what a desperate woman was capable of. “I’ll be honest with you. This is not going to be easy. In fact, I wouldn’t have even suggested it except for the fact that—” She looked away a moment while shaking her head, as if she still couldn’t believe it. Then she raised her dark eyes once more, swallowing hard. “Jade, I told you you’re a prodigy. I haven’t seen raw ability like yours since...well...ever! No one has.”

  Jade’s crystal blue eyes narrowed with suspicion. None of that mattered to her right now. “I just want to find him. I’ll do anything you say. I don’t understand anything about magic, but if you say it will help me find him...”

  “I’m not asking you to do this by yourself. I’m going to show you something that usually takes years to learn, but we don’t have years, we have hours.” Her look softened again as she smiled warmly. “And I believe it’s all we’ll need. Now close your eyes.” Jade did as she was instructed while Nima still held her hands. “Now I need you to picture your friend. I have no familiarity with him, so this is important.”

  Jade kept her eyes closed while picturing Eric in his favorite sleeveless leather vest he wore so often, his muscular arms bulging as he ran his fingers through his long curly hair, muscles built up through years of blacksmithing and swordsmanship back in his home town. His sparkling dark eyes and innocent smile were enough to make Jade melt every time she saw him. His image alone brought her so much pain it was hard to hang on to. “OK, I see him,” she said in a weak voice. She suddenly felt a foreign intrusion invading her mind.

  “He is a handsome man,” whispered Nima as she squeezed Jade’s hands. Jade almost let go of the image, a little stunned than Nima had so easily entered her mind, but she recovered quickly and continued to concentrate. This was important, and she could not lose focus. “Now, Jade, I need you to reach out to him. Feel his presence as if he were right here next to you.” Jade concentrated hard while letting her mind wander. Memories of them holding each other flooded through her as she tried to reach out. “Jade, I’m losing you,” warned Nima as her face tightened.

  “I’m trying,” pleaded Jade desperately. “I’m concentrating as hard as I can.”

  “No, dear, that’s not how it works,” Nima said in a strained voice. “I’m concentrating all my efforts into trying to guide your mind, but you must do the opposite. The power is not coming from directly within you, but instead it is all around you. Let it flow through you naturally. The path of least resistance is the correct one.”

  Jade nodded absently with her eyes still closed. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs to capacity before blowing out slowly. She repeated the rhythmic breathing exercise several times in a row, letting her mind wander out once more. She could feel her own heartbeat slowing down with each deep breath. She could still see the image of Eric in her mind as she seemed to drift off into blackness. See him? No. She could feel him now as the image called out to her, pulling her from her own body.

  In an instant she was flying high in the sky while gazing down below at the tops of green trees, even feeling the icy cool air chilling her body as her long black hair flapped in the wind.“That’s it, dear; you must let go. I can’t do it for you. You must let nature’s energy guide you to him.” Nima’s voice sounded far away now.

  Her face felt numb as the brutal cold washed over her like a raging river. Even though her physical body had been left behind, she could feel the wind and smell the crisp, salty air as if she were really there, and somehow she knew exactly where she was flying to. Jade could feel the man she loved, his energy reaching out to her, just as hers locked onto him. She held her arms out wide, feeling the cold air pushing up on her hands as she drifted along, weaving in and out between giant mountains at an impossible speed. But then she suddenly began to slow down, now drifting along like a cloud. Just ahead she could see an oddly shaped column of stone blooming up into a mushroom-shaped platform. She could make out the subtle flickering flames of an open fire as she floated up to it.

  There he was! Sitting next to the open flame, slowly turning a rabbit on a whittled-down stick. His face was covered with stubble from not shaving for days, but it was certainly him. An odd, winged lizard sat next to him while he pulled strips of meat from the stick and let it eat right from his hand. Jade’s ghostly image stood there and watched the two of them as they ate.

  “I can’t believe you’ve grown this much in only a few days,” he said before holding out another piece of meat. The lizard-like creature’s tongue snapped it up like a frog before swallowing the chunk in a single bite. Eric smiled briefly before giving it a playful slap across the snout. “But with your appetite I suppose I shouldn’t be so surprised. Still, I find it rather remarkable.” His smile faded quickly. Now frowning at the remaining piece of rabbit, he tossed it to the creature before springing back up to his feet. “By the Gods, why can’t I do this when I need to?” he mumbled to himself. He held out his open hand away from the fire and tensed his whole body. He held the position for some time before sharply releasing the breath he had apparently been holding. After panting for a few seconds he held his arm out once more and drew in another deep breath. A few more seconds passed before his face turned red and his whole body began trembling. Still his face remained focused as nearly a full minute passed. Then he collapsed in a heap, dropping to his knees, gasping for air.

  Eric stayed down for a moment with one hand pressed into the ground for balance, his brown curly hair matted down across his face. His punched the ground, cursing into the night before rolling back toward the fire. He swiped across his forehead with the back of his hand, removing the sweaty hair from his eyes,
then looked back to his lizard friend.

  “I can’t do it no matter how hard I try.” He shook his head in frustration. “But when I’m that other person, when I’m not me, forming a gate is the easiest thing in the world. However, now that my friends need me the most, when I absolutely need to do it—” He screamed out in frustration again, his voice echoing off the endless sea of mountains surrounding the stone platform. Taking a deep breath, he tried to compose himself. “You know what hurts the most?” The creature tilted its head to the side as if hanging on to his every word. “I broke my promise to her. I told her no matter what happened, I wouldn’t let her go.” He dropped his face down into his hands, sobbing softly. “I failed her. I failed them all.”

  Jade’s ghostly image drifted around to his back as a pair of unfelt arms wrapped around him. Even knowing he couldn’t feel her presence, it meant the world to her knowing he was safe. “I’m here,” she whispered in his ear, knowing he couldn’t hear her either. “You didn’t fail anyone. You certainly didn’t fail me.” She slowly melted into him as they merged together into one. “I miss you so much.”

  Suddenly, without warning the wind began to pick up, blowing her hair around like it was caught in a hurricane, but he just sat there with his head hung low, as if nothing was happening at all. The wind began to intensify even further as her feet began to lose traction and her clothes flapped viciously. She tried to hold on to him, but her ghostly grip simply slipped right through his body. It became clear that the heavy winds could only be felt by her. She grabbed at him desperately as her feet slid along the ground. She didn’t want to go. She had longed for the moment when she would see him again, and now it was being taken from her. “Eric!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

  Right at that moment he leapt to his feet and whirled around, his face full of confusion. His eyes were off-center while his gaze fell to something off in the distance, even though she was right in front of him. For a fleeting moment, he seemed to look right into her eyes. “Jade?”

  The whole world seemed to fall away from her as she was snatched up by an unseen force. Entire mountains blurred past her at unbelievable speeds as she cartwheeled though the air. With a thunderous jolt, her body shook with impact and her eyes popped open. She rolled to her side and began to cough furiously, all the while fighting for air. Nima was on top of her instantly, patting her back and rubbing her shoulders.

  “I lost track of you, dear. It seems as though you went somewhere, but I was unable to see you.”

  “I saw him. I found him,” she was barely able to spit out between the coughing. “Thank the Gods he is safe.” She slowly regained her composure after a few deep breaths, then looked squarely at Nima. “He heard me. I know that he heard me when I shouted his name.”

  Nima’s eyes narrowed with doubt. “That’s impossible, dear. He couldn’t have possibly—” She looked down at the ground before she could finish, as if she no longer knew what to believe.

  “No, he did. I’m sure of it.”

  Nima looked at her thoughtfully for a long while. “You know, most can only maintain that spectral state for five minutes or so. The most powerful, including myself, can hold it for fifteen, maybe twenty.”

  “It felt like I was there for around ten minutes or so, maybe more.”

  Nima shook her head. “I’m talking about people who have mastered the craft of astral projection, not their first time ever trying it. Besides, time feels different when you travel out of body.”

  Jade was almost reluctant to ask. “How...how long have I been gone?” she whispered softly.

  “My dear, you left your body two hours ago.”

  Chapter 15

  Athel laid her head across Jacob’s lap as he gently ran his hand across her beaded hair in long, smooth strokes. The two of them sat in silence, thinking of everything they had been through together, all the events that had led them to this moment. “Hey, Athel,” he said with a slight chuckle, “remember how Jade made you dress up when we were still back at the palace?” He laughed a bit harder. “You looked like you were going to kill somebody. I never did tell you what I was really thinking, did I?” He stroked her hair one more time before resting his hand on her back. “Well...here goes. I thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.” A slight rumble vibrated through his hand before he removed it from her back, then he started to feel it in his knees as well. “Athel...are you OK?” She suddenly rolled off him and lay flat on the ground with her hands clasped around the back of her head. He quickly straddled her while shaking her shoulders. “Athel. Athel, say something!”

  She rolled to her back and looked up at him with milky white eyes, saliva running freely from the corners of her mouth. “Get away from me!” came the low growling voice he didn’t recognize at all. She began to thrash about like a fish on dry land. He fell down on top of her, trying to use all his weight to hold her down, but it was like a child trying to hold down a grown man. “I said get back!” In one swift, two-handed push, she easily threw him across the room. He slammed against the wall upside-down, then slid down into a pile of hay. With all the air driven from his lungs, he somehow found the strength to roll to his side, wheezing and coughing the entire time.

  Her chains rattled as she rolled back onto her hands and knees. She began convulsing over and over again, looking like a cat trying to cough up a hairball as her body jerked savagely. The moon was full now and gleamed brightly, providing more than enough light to see her facial features changing right before Jacob’s eyes. Various points all over her face and forehead began to bubble up then recede back down, as if thick worms were crawling under her skin. Her head thrashed up and down as her beads rattled angrily. She stopped her thrashing briefly and looked up to the moon before howling a long, sorrowful moan that echoed into the night, then her head snapped back down as her eerie white-eyed gaze fell on Jacob, who was only now able to crawl away from the hay pile.

  With a snarl, baring all her teeth at once, she leapt at him with impossible agility. A high-pitched clang rang out as all five chains tightened at once, stopping her vicious assault in mid flight. Her body jolted back as the steel pole vibrated vigorously but seemed to hold. She landed on all fours with all the grace of a cat, but instantly ran right back at him, snarling and growling like an enraged beast. She threw lefts and rights with open extended fingers, as if she believed she had claws and was trying to cut him to shreds, each strike stopping in midair as the chains tightened, ringing out in protest with each superhuman show of strength.

  Jacob stumbled to his feet, holding his side as he winced in pain. His breath came in short, labored bursts as he stared at the enraged beast. He took a single step toward her while staying just out of range as she flailed away even harder now. “I won’t leave you!” he screamed at her before spitting a wad of blood on the floor. “You have to fight it, Athel. You must find a way to gain control, or it will consume you!” He gazed into her milky white eyes as she flailed wildly, foam flying from her mouth with every vicious swing. “Focus on me. Forget everything else and look into my eyes. We’ve been through so much already; I won’t let it end this way! Athel...I’m your friend.”

  For a brief moment the entire world seemed to stop as time stood still. Her animalistic flailing halted and her eyes cleared for a fleeting second. She dropped down to her knees, placing her head on the ground and covering her ears as if to block out some horrible noise. Without looking up, she spoke in the familiar voice he knew so well. “Jacob...you...have...to...run! I can’t fight it much longer!”

  ****

  Zhou gazed off in the direction of the small village; his keen eyesight easily able to see villagers moving about the dirt roads, completely oblivious to the very real threat only a few miles away. He growled savagely, exposing sharp, pointed teeth that had not been there a few seconds ago before turning back to his entourage. Billowy steam flowed between his sharp teeth with each angry breath as he eyed his pack of killers. Holding information o
f any sort from the Hoshito family was more than punishable by death.

  Six boachards stood tall, each gripping one of their special segmented staffs as their large purple eyes stared off at nothing. Spaced between the lumbering monstrosities were another twenty humans. They each wore dark green suits that covered everything but their eyes and looked to be light and flimsy, but the custom attire was designed entirely for speed and agility. More than enough protection was provided by the thin strips of metal sewn into the arm, chest, and back areas. With the wrist and forearms so heavily reinforced, they could easily use them to block swords or other weaponry, a tactical advantage the highly trained blade masters were more than proficient in. The loyal assassins each stood perfectly still, with double katanas strapped across their backs, waiting to obey any order given, even if that order led to their own deaths.

  Zhou paced back and forth in front of them, wearing a permanent scowl as his huge muscles twitched with each and every step. In a booming voice he said, “The Takeri Clan has betrayed their own people by sheltering these foreign dogs instead of reporting directly to me. We know not where they come from or what their intentions are, yet they were kept hidden from us anyway. An example must be made of these traitors. Let the harsh lesson leaned on this day be heard throughout the land of Shangti!”

  No cheering or shouts of battle followed his statements. Both the boachards and blade masters had little to no personal interest regarding the business of the other clans. They would follow orders as if their very lives depended on it, because they did. They displayed no emotion, because they felt no emotion. Killing was never personal, just a means to an end.